THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

IWA

SAFETY PAGE EDITORIAL
DRAWS PRAISE FROM LOCAL UNIONS

SAFETY PAGE

| he safety editorial printed
in the Ist issue March of the
Lumber Worker expressing
_ concern over the sky-high fat-
_ ality toll and lack of action in
| the joint safety programme on

the part of the companies and
the Workmen’s Compensation
Board, has drawn a number of
letters from Local Unions sup-
porting the editorial’s charges.

The Lumber Worker has

published these letters below
along with a statement from
the Workmen’s Compensation
Board replying to the accusa-
tions.

LOCAL 1-417

"GUTS NEEDED IN SAFETY PROGRAMME"

The Editor:

I would like to compliment
you on your editorial on page
5, in the March Ist issue of
The Western Canadian Lum-
ber Worker. To the uninter-
ested person, the tombstones
in your pictorial sketch may
seem like something of a
comedy. But to the workman
in industry, and those who
are responsible in industry,
including the W.C.B., this
must surely drive home the
very real and tragic condi-
tions that do exist:

About twenty years ago

_when the IWA put a full time
Safety Director on staff, I am
sure it was the intent of the
IWA that the Safety Director
would work in close co-opera-
tion with Management and

e W.C.B. in an attempt to
reduce fatalities and unsafe
conditions in the
Also the Safety Director
would be available to visit the

-many operations, and Local
Unions to assist Management
and workers in their efforts
towards a sound safety pro-
gramme. But somewhere
along the line it seems, the
Regional Safety Director only
gets to an operation or Local
Union after there has been a
fatality or serious injury. The
rest of his time is taken up
acting as a lawyer, on behalf
of an already injured work-
man, attempting to have a
legitimate claim accepted by
the W.C.B. To me this is a
prime example of putting the
cart before the horse.

When we speak of a joint
safety programme, I wonder
what we are talking about. Is
the W.C.B.’s function ih a
Joint Safety Programme only
one of delaying and disqual-

industry. .

ifying as many claims as pos-
sible of maimed and injured
workmen. And is it the prac-
tice of a W.C.B. inspector to
go around holding hands with
the boss, turning a blind eye
to the real responsibility of
his duties. Even in the case of
a fatality, where a jury rules
that unsafe conditions were a
contributing factor, it appears
that the W.C.B. and some
Management still refuse to be
moved, either emotionally or
responsibly.

As for inspections, I agree
they are totally inadequate,
and IJ suspect at times are car-
ried out in a very haphazard
manner. A safety inspection,
to most production-hungry
Management, is a bothersome
thing and usually taken very
lightly. They know there is
no cause for alarm_ because
the inspector will soon be
gone, and it is not likely he
will be back for two or three
months to check on unsafe
conditions. They also know
the inspector has the power
to shut down an operation for
operating under unsafe con-
ditions, but this doesn’t con-
cern them as they seem to
know that the W.C.B. inspec-
tors rarely if ever use this
power.

You always hear this cry
from -Management, “We foot
the bill for compensation.”
This would seem to me a very
good reason why Management
should be concerned, if they
are sincere about cutting
costs and eliminating injury
to the workman. Could it be
that because Management
foots the bill for workmen’s
compensation, that they inter-
pret this to mean they have

the right to stand by while
workmen are killed or injur-
ed and not become concerned.

As I look at the picture of
the tombstones as mentioned
above I wonder, “Where have
we failed these workers and
their families?” I am sure a
lot of Management people
have seen your editorial, and
yes, the W.C.B., also, and I
think they too, should be ask-
ing themselves, “Where have
we failed these workers?”
This is to say nothing of the
hundreds of workers who are
crippled for life, and‘ the
many injured workers who
receive no compensation be-
cause of some imaginary tech-
nicality.

The answer must surely
rest first in the hands of the
W.C.B. at all levels, by put-
ting some guts into a Safety
programme that will do the
job that was intended in the
best interests of safety.

The Officers of this Local
Union would welcome a visit
from a W.C.B. inspector from
time to time for the purpose
of discussing some of our
problem areas. But in the
year and a half that I’ve been
in this office we have never
been afforded the courtesy of
a visit from a W.C.B. inspec-
tor. Which would indicate to
me that the industry’s Joint
Safety Programme which was
set up years ago is virtually
non-existent today, and to use
your own phrase, “Wherever
safety conflicts with produc-
tion, safety goes out the win-

ow.”

A. J. KELLY,
Safety Director,
Local 1-417, IWA.

LOCAL 1-71

"MANAGEMENT CONCERNED WITH PRODUCTION"

The Editor:

In reply to your editorial
regarding WCB _ inspectors
not enforcing regulations, we
would like to report the fol-
lowing:

The management of Mac-
Millan Bloedel, Juskatla Di-
vision, were concerned wit
production and were calling

_out rigging crews, loading
- erews, Jog truck drivers and

sometimes boom crews to
work on Saturdays. The First
Aid Attendant drew to the
attention of the company the
fact that the number of men
working far exceeded the re-
quirement for a first aid at-
tendant to be put on duty.
Management, however, were
concerned with production
and their budget. Their atti-
tude and answer were: he
would be called if needed —

production and budget before
safety. -

This unsatisfactory answer’
was related to a WCB Imspec-
tor. The inspector’s comment
was “The Company is asking
for trouble,” but he failed to
take the necessary action to
enforce the Regulations. De-
tails are on file.

Local 1-71, IWA,
BEN THOMPSON,
1st Vice- President

4
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4
:
a;
J

W.C.B. DENIES |

During the past 20 years
the IWA has been an active
participant in a three - way
effort to decrease accidents in
the forest products industry of
British Columbia. In partner-
ship with enlightened man-
agement groups and the
Workmen’s Compensation
Board, the IWA has commit-
ted itself to this most worth-
while of causes.

In a recent issue of this
publication the IWA saw fit
to question the value of its
participation in the joint ef-
fort, which after two decades
has resulted in disabling and
fatal accidents being reduced
by nearly half. It backed up
its doubt, in part, by stating
that “The Union can’t be
faulted for suspecting that the
WCB has formed a new alli-
ance with management for
the sole purpose of overlook-
ing safety violations in order
to aid management in its
drive for greater production.”

This suspicion of the Union
is absolutely unfounded.

The WCB has a responsi-
bility under the Workmen’s
Compensation Act to make
and enforce accident preven-
tion regulations for the pro-
tection of working men and
women under the Act. As late
as March 1, 1966 new regula-
tions went into effect. These
came about after many
months of effort in drafting
practical and sensible stan-
dards for the safety of work-
ers, culminating in public
hearings to which representa-
tives of labour and mange-

larged staff of WCB safety

the Province, 9,088 more than

ment contributed their knowl-
edge and experience. 4
These regulations are being |

enforced by a recently en-
officials, who, in 1967, made
19,141 inspections of indus-
trial operations throughout

were made in 1956. As a re-

sult of these inspections last ~

year 21,572 orders were is-
sued for correction of hazard.”
ous conditions and 2,049 or.
ders to improve first aid
facilities.

Covering an area about the
size of Western Europe, these

men are competent, dedicated *

men endeavouring to do their
job without fear or favour,
knowing all too well that hu-
man nature, being what it is,
tends to thrive on reckless
and thoughtless acts, which
often leads to death or dis-
ability.

During the months of Janu-
ary and February of this year
16 men in the forest products
industry of B.C. were killed
on the job. Five loggers
died when a crummy and
pick-up vehicle were struck
by a loaded logging truck
which skidded on black ice,
eight miles north of Quesnel.
Six other loggers, four planer
and sawmill workers and one

pulp worker have been killed |

in separate accidents.

On examination of the sep-
arate fatal accidents human
miscalculation was a factor in
nearly all the cases. In several
of the incidents management
could have provided means by

LOCAL 1-118

"SPEED-UP IS PRIME C

The Editor:

Relative to editorial, “Safe-
ty Program Wanting” in Ist
issue March, 1968:

Local 1-118 concurs whole-
heartedly with this editorial.
Production speed-up is the
prime cause of accidents,
whether in manufacturing,
logging, or elsewhere.

Too little concern is given
by the foremen, superintend-
ents and managers of com-

panies for the health and
safety of their workmen. Oh —
yes, they pay lip service to —
the joint safety program.

If the managements and
Compensation Board were
really sincere about safety,
would accidents and fatalities —
be on the increase?

4
I recall a meeting a year —

ago where this Local Union —
was meeting with a company —

LOCAL 1-85

"BOARD INSPECTORS

The Editor:

I would like to take this
opportunity to comment on
your editorial in the Safety
Page of the Lumberworker,
the first issue of March.

It is my opinion that the
facts as stated are long over-
due and fully expresses the
opinion of delegates attend-
ing Regional Safety Confer-
ences and this Local Union.

‘There is no doubt in my
mind that the Safety Pro-
gram started on a downhill
trend the day Mr. Arthur
Francis, Chief Safety Inspec-
tor retired.

We have complained at
ith-

Safety Conferences also wi |

in our Local Union as to the —
procedure used by the com- |
panies and the W.C.B. Safety —
Inspector when making safety —
tours of. operations. 4

As long as W.C.B. Inspec- —
tors only report to manage
ment and tour operations —
with Company Representa-—
tives they do not see OF —
accomplisi: anything. 4

There should be at all times
a Union Safety Committee
accompanying
W.C.B. Inspectors and Com
pany Officials on all tours. —

i